A Stroll Round Broadsea

Broadsea near Fraserburgh

Broadsea is the older part of Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire. It was once the site of a Pictish settlement and later a fishing community. It still feels distinctly different from the surrounding town, more like a small village, and is a great place for a walk.

Our Broadsea Stroll

From Fraserburgh, we’re heading down Broadsea Road, past all the wee hoosies, right to the end.

a wee hoosie in Broadsea

From there we’re going left to see the craggy rocks and some paintings. There’s a Lion Rampant on the other side of that outcrop but it’s taken a bit of a bashing from the sea and is rather faded.

sea at Broadsea in Aberdeenshire

Let’s retrace our steps and continue on round the corner. We’re heading towards the cove of Broadsea, the lighthouse at Kinnaird Head just coming into view.

view from Broadsea or Faithlee

Tiptoeing between houses and walking the curving path, we pass many old cottages. The new housing development we come to next holds on to hints of the past in the form of various buoys placed along the verge.

buoy at Broadsea

On we go. Up to lighthouses, old and new. There’s a great museum and tearoom here if you need a break. Older post with more on the museum and lighthouse here.

lighthouse

A little further along from the lighthouse is The Wine Tower, said to be Fraserburgh’s oldest building. Post on it here.

wine tower of Fraserburgh

We can finish there if you like, but I prefer to walk all the way back so as to see Broadsea from the other direction.

So, one last look at The Wine Tower… perhaps a quick run up and down the steps and a peer in the window…

wine tower

And we return to the wee hoosies.

cottage at Broadsea

And Broadsea Road.

Broadsea house

For a fascinating read on the 19th century history of Broadsea, I highly recommend The Christian Watt Papers.

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23 Replies to “A Stroll Round Broadsea”

  1. um….lazy researcher here – – IF you were called upon to write the function and history of “wine towers’ OR have already done so, I surely am interested! I read the linked to post of yours – then went and did a Duck Duck go search which, the first two pages were filled with modern offereings for sale, DIY to make your own but none of them seemed to hold the info I sought – so if you’ve delved into before, or feel inclined to put on your ‘future posts ideas’ list?

    This reader, would be grateful! I confess I’m rather impatient with deep research on “i just wanta learn more…” right about now – spending much time in order to keep abreast of and do my best to be an informed voter this fall, in USA – sigh – so on fronts such as this? I’m ‘asking’ for enabling of my ‘lazy on this research’ fronts – just now – 😀

    Thanks, IF you don’t immediately think, “Wow! what an entitled personage she is! Imagine asking me to do her work for her…!” – – 😀

    1. I don’t think wine towers were a particularly big thing. Not many people would need a whole tower to store their wine! I haven’t come across any others. This one was actually a post-reformation (so, illegal) Catholic Chapel posing as a wine tower. It’s a strange building though so there may be a bit more to it than that but there doesn’t seem to be any documented history, only ghost stories.

      1. Ahh! Okay! I didn’t realize it was ‘storage’ area – I’ve been fascinated on such things, ever since learning from a friend of the ‘beer brewing caves’ in Belgium that house centuries of ‘local yeast’ in the cavern, that provides their ‘special blend’ AND since I first learned that sourdough/starters, were part of woman’s dowry, especially if she were traveling far away for marriage (in order to have the ‘yeasts’ she was accustomed to, with her, as she adjusted, physically, to her ‘new home’ – thus, I wondered if wine towers (for brewing/making/etc.) had similar info history passed down, re: their purpose/use… Thanks for the ‘nugget’ of info! I won’t waste further time tracking down! 😀

          1. I don’t really think brewing was the problem. We still have almost a 3 gallon limit PER PERSON in the states. That’s federal law. Which means, most of us a few centuries ago were working and consuming almost 3 gallons of alcohol. So. Like most things that are a hindrance too production it became a limit. Then, illegal here for a while. Sure. There’s fancy tales of social histories of wine and bourbon recipes. It’s not hard to watch fruit and wheat die and turn into booze. Anyways, later at least here it was banned but I think because it hindered production again during the industrial revolution and new immigrants. Certain parts of the ban remained until almost Bush I think. Homebrew and microbrewery were severely restricted not by the amount. Which 3 gallons a person per day is plenty. I think in Arizona the law is still anything over 1,500 gallons is taxed. That’s a lot. So. In a way you’re right. The brewer’s secrets were a mystery even to the politicians that were trying to keep production high.

          2. Autonomy is universal. Western influence really started from your side and laws kind of frame what a community might be one day. I worked in breweries all over for seven years and, maybe? I know, the restrictions from laws here make people a bit determined at times. But a whole tower? That would have taken years. Must have had the good stuff.

          3. The tower was more about hiding forbidden religious practice than wine. But there may have been a few bottles or kegs in there too!

          4. That is unfortunate. The Church, has made compromises with indigenous groups worldwide in it’s history. More like, where there’s leadership that took the time to see more than condemn. Or, when steamrolling the locals didn’t turn them into converts. Places, like that where local traditions commenced are just as important. We have some places here that are getting recognized because of the massacres from churchgoers that failed in their efforts of loving all people.

  2. Interesting post again.
    I have never had a chance to visit any lighthouses. I’d like to see one someday, but I think I would expect too much from it… based on the childhood tales 🙂

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